Work of Art
by sunshineoptimismandangels
Summary: Blaine notices a beautiful young man at the food court at the mall, but why is he staring at Blaine like that? Klaine!AU. Different first meeting.


**AN: Written fast and not beta'd for a little prompt I fell in love with on Tumblr.**  
 **Please forgive the mistakes and enjoy!**

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Blaine sat down on the hard plastic chair, his tray clattering against the tabletop in front of him. The mall food court was thankfully slow this afternoon so Blaine had been able to get his sandwich and water bottle quickly, meaning he could sit here for almost a full 40 minutes before he had to be back at work. He had a summer job taking photos at one of those department store portrait studios. It ended up being more tiring than expected. Kids apparently hate sitting still and parents don't smile for pictures when they've been screaming at their kids.

Still, it was a good job and even fun sometimes. Blaine smiled thinking about the little boy he'd photographed that morning for his fourth birthday who posed with a table full of matchbox monster trucks. Yeah, sometimes his job was good. He still had a smile on his lips as he opened his water bottle and glanced across the food court. People watching was one of his favorite lunchtime activities. His eyes didn't get far before they landed on a young man sitting a few tables away. The boy glanced away quickly, had he been people watching Blaine? Blaine chuckled at that and stole a longer glance while the boy looked steadily at the book lying on the table in front of him.

It didn't take more than a cursory glance for Blaine to realize the young man was extremely attractive. He looked to be around Blaine's age, with pale smooth skin and expressive lips that he was currently biting in concentration at the book in front of him. The young man had broad shoulders, fine features, and chestnut brown hair styled to perfection –besides the one small strand that had fallen gracefully over his forehead. Blaine felt a little fluttering in his stomach watching him.

He realized he'd been staring for a little too long when the boy looked up again. Blaine glanced away quickly before the boy could notice. Blaine went back to looking across the food court, sending a little wave to the girl who worked at _Orange Julius_ who he knew well enough to say hello to as he passed her on the way to work. There was a mother cutting up chicken nuggets for her two young children and a group of teenagers a little younger then him sitting together and laughing at something on one of their phones.

It wasn't long before Blaine found himself glancing back at the lovely boy across from him. He couldn't help it. This time Blaine tried to be discreet about it, looking down at his sandwich and then slightly up, trying not to bring attention to himself. It turned out the boy was already looking at him though; Blaine cleared his throat self-consciously and looked back down. Had he been caught?

Blaine purposely looked anywhere besides the boy for a minute, but it was hard. Now that he knew he was there Blaine's eyes were drawn back time and time again. Most often, the boy was looking at him too. In fact, now it seemed like the boy was steadily staring at Blaine in a way that made Blaine's skin feel warm the sandwich he was eating to feel heavy in his mouth.

Blaine thought at first the boy was looking at him because Blaine had been doing the same, but has Blaine took increasingly frequent yet surreptitious glances he found the boy was watching him intently. Almost studying Blaine in a way that was making him feel distinctly uncomfortable.

What was his problem anyway? So what, Blaine had noticed him. It was hard not to in that perfectly fitting purple sweater that made his blue eyes stand out and the look of concentration on his furrowed and lovely brow. Just because Blaine had taken notice of him didn't mean he had to retaliate like this, by staring Blaine down. Maybe he was one of those guys who got offended by the attention of another guy? Maybe he was homophobic. Or... what if Blaine had attracted the attention of some creepy stalker?

Blaine lifted his head, fully looking the boy now, not hiding his glances anymore as the young man looked back to the book in front of him. That's when Blaine noticed a pencil in the young man's hand as he furiously sketched across a page. Then the young man looked back up briefly and back down to his book… A book which actually seemed more like a large spiral pad now that Blaine thought about it and… _oh, my god._

Blaine's breath hitched.

The boy wasn't staring Blaine down, _he was drawing him_. Studying Blaine and then turning to his book to sketch.

Blaine looked back down at his table with a smile on his lips as his heart started beating faster. Okay, that was actually very gratifying, having a stranger draw a picture of him. It made this gorgeous boy even more intriguing. Blaine glanced up once more and this time the timing was right, and Blaine wasn't being sly about looking at the boy now. His eyes met the boy's eyes, both of them aware that the other was looking.

The young man's rosy cheeks flushed red and he immediately looked away, closing his sketchbook and pulling a book bag from the chair next to him – apparently ready to pack up and leave.

 _No. Oh no._ Blaine watched as the boy stood from the table packing up his pencils and looking ready to make a hasty retreat. Blaine didn't want that. Now that he knew what was going on Blaine's interest in the young man had only grown. If he walked away now Blaine would never see him again and Blaine hated that idea. Blaine made up his mind to do something about it. He grabbed what was left of his sandwich and his nearly empty water bottle and sprang up from the table. Dumping his items in a trashcan on his way.

The young man was just zipping up his book bag when Blaine stopped in front of him. "Um... hi," Blaine said not sure where to go from here.

The boy looked up his eyes growing wide as he straightened up from his bag. "Hi." The boy answered his voice sweet and a little airy.

Blaine smiled at him, his best charming smile, the one he had been told could charm birds out of trees. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I noticed… where you… drawing me?"

"Ohmygod." The boy's hand went to his lips. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bother you. I just… it's for an art class and you were sitting there smiling to yourself and seemed like the perfect subject. I didn't think you'd notice, you were just so… so…" He stopped talking and took a deep breath "I promise I'm not some weird creeper."

"I don't think you're a weird creeper." Blaine laughed. "At least not after I figured out what you were doing. Besides, I was the one staring first."

"Staring?" The boy tilted his head his blue eyes inquisitive, "At who?" Then he seemed to understand what Blaine was saying and his mouth fell open. "Wait. _Staring at me?_ "

"Yes." Blaine nodded. "You're noticeable."

The boy's jaw tightened and he his posture growing stiff. "Well, I'm sorry to have bothered you." He said crisply.

"No! No." Blaine hurried to explain. "Noticeable in a good way you… you're… um…" All the words coming to Blaine's mind seemed a little forward to say to a stranger. _You're beautiful, gorgeous, breathtakingly_. "You're very pleasant to look at." Blaine landed on with an internal groan. _God, why was he so awkward?_

The boy's eyebrows shot up, his cheeks coloring again. "Oh."

"I just didn't want you to run off before I had the chance to meet you," Blaine explained. He'd passed the point of no return now. He was probably going to scare this beautiful boy away, but his filter was gone and there was little he could do about it.

Instead of fleeing the boy smiled and Blaine's stomach swooped.

"I'm Kurt." He said holding out a hand.

"I'm Blaine."

Kurt's skin was soft, but his handshake was strong and Blaine felt a little giddy at the touch. "I have to get back to work soon," Blaine said letting go of Kurt's hand reluctantly. "But I'd love to see your sketch sometime."

Kurt laughed, his voice light and carefree. "It isn't that good."

"Considering it is of me, I think I should have a say in that." Blaine teased with a wink and watched Kurt flush yet again. He liked that. "We could meet for coffee? I get off work at 4:00."

"Really?" Kurt's blue eyes sparkled with eagerness. "I mean. Yeah. Yes. I'd love that."

"And you can show me your sketches."

"If you really want to see them."

"I do."

Kurt beamed at him. They agreed on a nearby coffee shop and exchanged phone numbers before Blaine had to hurry to get back to the studio. He turned around for one last look at Kurt as he left. Kurt was watching him as well. Blaine smiled happily, thinking that he'd be content to stare at Kurt for as long as Kurt would let him.

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"We're sitting in a food court and I can see you staring at me so what's your f***ing deal- wait are you drawing me?" AU


End file.
